KR900007709B1 - Information sending/receiving system - Google Patents

Abstract

The system comprises a push-button signal generator (7) for converting the data received from a microprocessor (8) into the push- button signal and a receiver (6) for receiving the push- button signal from a management center. The receiver includes a pushbutton signal detecter (6a) to convert the received push-button signal into an information. Two-way communication can be performed between the information transmitting/receiving system and the management center.

Description

Information transmitting and receiving device

1 and 2 are block diagrams of an information transmitting apparatus for a house according to the present invention.

3 is a block diagram of a microprocessor.

4 is a flowchart of transmission processing of a microprocessor.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

1: electric circuit 6: receiving circuit

6a: PB signal detection circuit 6c: boost circuit

7: PB signal generating circuit 8: microprocessor

9: first power supply 9a: secondary battery

10: second power supply unit 10a: primary battery

A: Home information transmitter C: Gas supplier's computer

L: Telephone line network

The present invention relates to an information transmitting and receiving device for transmitting information to a water receiver and receiving information from the water receiver.

Conventionally, a device of this type has used a modem to quantize (modulate) a signal and send it to a communication line, and at the same time demodulate the received quantized signal and modulate it into a signal to transmit and receive information.

However, this modem has a high throughput but is very expensive, so it is difficult to disseminate a modem-equipped device in each home.

On the other hand, the automatic meter reading device which performs automatic meter reading of gas, electricity, and water in each household has a transmission / reception function capable of communicating signals with the management center, thereby preventing false transmission of the meter reading device and improving reliability. Although it is possible to add a modem to the automatic meter reading device as described above, the manufacturing cost is greatly increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information transmitting and receiving device for transmitting and receiving information at a low price.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention converts information into a push button signal, and transmits the push button signal to a water receiver through a telephone line, and receives a push button signal transmitted from the water receiver. The technical means is provided with a reception function for converting the push button signal into information.

The present invention, when transmitting information, converts the information into a pushbutton signal (dual frequency in the voice band), and transmits the pushbutton signal to a receiver device over a telephone line to generate the pushbutton signal. Since a PB signal generation circuit for calling a water receiver can be used, the present invention can be made inexpensive while having the same function of transmitting information as compared with quantizing and transmitting a signal such as a modem.

The reception of information is carried out by a frequency detection circuit (not shown) in the PB signal detection circuit that detects a specific frequency of the pushbutton signal sent from the receiver. The signal is transmitted from the receiver according to the signal detected by the frequency detection circuit. By detecting the information, compared to demodulating and decoding a quantized signal such as a modem, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing price while having the same function of receiving the information.

Therefore, since the information can be transmitted and received at a lower price than the modem without providing a modem, the price of the transceiver can be significantly lowered.

The modem consumes a lot of power because it requires a fairly complicated logic circuit. However, the receiver of the present invention uses a PB signal generation circuit, a PB signal detection circuit, and an integrated circuit (microprocessor) that performs information processing. The power may be low. Therefore, the secondary battery can be charged by the electric power supplied from the telephone line, and the transceiver can be operated with the electric power charged in the secondary battery.

In addition, by operating the transceiver with the electric power of this secondary battery, since it is possible to operate with a small current compared with the conventional 100 volt commercial AC current, it is possible to reduce the price.

In addition, by using the function of the transceiver of the present invention for automatic inspection of gas, electricity, water, and the like, gas leakage, gas exhaustion, fire detection, etc., two-way communication can be performed, thereby improving the reliability of the device.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment applied to a residential information transmitting apparatus having an automatic meter reading function for automatically transmitting gas usage to a management center by the information transmitting and receiving apparatus of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 are block diagrams of an information transmitting apparatus for a house. A is a home information transmitter installed in each house, T is a general telephone, L is a general subscriber telephone line network including an exchange system (telephone station), and C is connected through the home information transmitter (A) and a telephone line network (L). The computer of the gas supply company (management center) which is a to-be-received apparatus which concerns on this invention is shown.

The information transmitting device (A) for the home inputs the output of the pulse generating attachment meter (N ₁ ), the reset switch (N ₂ ) and the gas leakage sensor (N ₃ ) and transmits this information to the gas supply company's computer (C). An electric circuit 1 is provided.

The pulse generating attachment meter N ₁ attaches a magnet to a rotating body of a gas metering integrator (not shown) which rotates in proportion to the flow rate of the gas, for example, and connects the lead switch by the magnetic force of the magnet to generate a pulse. .

The reset switch N ₂ is operated by the exchanger of the gas cylinder at the time of exchanging the gas cylinder by, for example, a pushbutton switch.

The electric circuit 1 includes a communication connector 2 for connecting the telephone T and the call line network L, a line use detection circuit 3 for detecting a call state of the telephone T, and a telephone T. A ring tone detection circuit 4 for detecting a call state, a line conversion relay 5 for converting the telephone line network L by an ON / OFF operation of the switch transistor TRl in response to a signal of the microprocessor 8; And a receiving circuit 6 which detects the pushbutton signal transmitted from the computer C of the gas supplier and outputs the signal to the microprocessor 8 through the switch transistor TR2, and the pushbutton signal PB signal generation circuit 7 for generating a pushbutton signal, a microprocessor (CPU) 8, a first power supply unit 9 having a secondary battery 9a, and a primary battery 10a. The voltage of the second power supply unit 10 and the primary battery 10a of the second power supply unit 10 is lower than the battery exhaust voltage value (for example, 2. 6V). And a voltage drop detection circuit 11 for detecting. The line conversion relay 5 converts the telephone line T and the telephone line network L within the electric circuit 1 through the relay contacts 5a and 5b.

The PUSH BUTTON (hereinafter referred to as PB) signal generation circuit 7 generates a selection signal of the called party (control center) and transmits the signal processed to the computer C and processed in the microprocessor 8 by four signals. It is a circuit that inputs through an inverter and converts it into a push button signal, and the push button signals (0 to 9, #, B, etc.), which are combined by one frequency by the two high frequency groups and the low frequency groups in the voice band, respectively. Occurs.

The microprocessor 8 is used to control the entire system, the user code, the automatic meter reading start date and time, the call signal of the computer C of the gas supply company connected to the telephone line network L (of the telephone connected to the computer C). Phone number), the set value of the gas exhaust flow rate (e.g., the amount of gas used corresponds to 70% of the gas cylinder, the amount used corresponds to 85% of the gas cylinder), and the like. _In order to count the number of pulses sent out from ₁ ) and the like, a timer is provided inside.

The setting of the start date and time of automatic meter reading stored in the microprocessor 8, the user code, the call signal of the computer C, the set value of the gas exhaust flow rate, and the initial value of the gas meter totalizer are assumed to be the information transmitter for residential use. It is set by the worker when installing in

Predetermined power can be obtained from the telephone line network L currently used in Korea. However, it is difficult to operate the electric circuit 1 with this electric power.

The secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 is connected to the telephone line network L via, for example, a resistor 9b of 1.1 mega ohms. This secondary electric machine 9a has a rated voltage of 3.6 V, for example, and is charged by a current supplied from the telephone line network L. As shown in FIG. Nickel cadmium batteries, alkaline batteries, sodium batteries, alkaline manganese batteries and the like are used for this secondary battery 9a. Then, power is supplied to the line conversion relay 5, the receiving circuit 6, the PB signal generating circuit 7, and the microprocessor 8 in the electric circuit 1 by the charging voltage accumulated in the secondary battery 9a. This is done. The primary battery 10a of the second power supply unit 10 is connected in parallel with the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9. And the rated voltage of this primary battery 10a is lower than the rated voltage of the secondary battery 9a, and is set to 3.0V, for example. The second power source 10 is a primary battery for supplying power to the electric circuit 1 when the voltage of the secondary battery 9a drops to a primary battery supply voltage value (for example, 3 V or less). The control circuit 10b is provided. The primary battery control circuit 10b supplies power to the electric circuit 1 when, for example, the voltage of the secondary battery 9a is lowered even with the voltage of the primary battery 10a by a diode. . In addition, in this embodiment, the primary battery supply voltage value at which the primary battery 10a supplies power to the electric circuit 1 is set according to the voltage of the primary battery 10a. In the present embodiment, the primary battery 10a uses a lithium battery having a long life and easy maintenance.

The voltage drop detection circuit l1 is capable of transmitting, for example, an operating voltage of, for example, 2.6 V (microprocessor 8) or a gas supply company's computer C, where the voltage of the primary battery 10a is the battery exhaust voltage value. It is set in consideration of the minimum voltage, etc.) to generate a high output.

The receiving circuit 6 is a circuit for converting the pushbutton signal transmitted from the computer C of the gas supply company into a signal that can be decoded by the microprocessor 8.

The signal transmitted from the computer C of the gas supply company differs depending on the path through the telephone line network and the distance between the computer C and the information transmitting device A for home. Thus, the receiving circuit 6 has an automatic level controller 6b for converting the input signal to a standard level detectable by the PB signal detecting circuit 6a. The push button signal transmitted from the computer C of the gas supply company converted to the standard level by the automatic level controller 6b is a signal obtained by combining one frequency from each of the high frequency group and the low frequency group, that is, the two frequency groups in the voice band. The frequency is detected by the PB signal detection circuit 6a.

Thus, the push button signal transmitted from the computer C of the present embodiment is a # signal (half signal) (combined signal of 941 Hz and 1477 Hz) and the PB signal detection circuit 6a detects the # signal.

For this purpose, a frequency detection circuit (tone recorder) for detecting 941 Hz and a frequency detection circuit for detecting 1477 Hz are used in the PB signal detection circuit 6a. This frequency detection circuit (active circuit) requires about 8V to operate. However, since the rated voltage of the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 is 3.6V, the voltage detection circuit in the PB signal detection circuit 6a cannot be operated with this voltage. In addition, since the battery exhaust voltage value is 2.6V, when the voltages of the first power supply unit 9 and the second power supply unit 10 are lowered to 2.6V or less, it is necessary to notify the battery C of the gas supply company of the battery exhaustion. Therefore, the receiving circuit 6 includes a boosting circuit 6c for operating the frequency detecting circuit of the PB signal detecting circuit 6a. The booster circuit 6c boosts approximately 2.3V supplied from the first power supply unit 9 and the second power supply unit 10 to about 8V. As a result, the frequency detection circuit of the PB signal detection circuit 6a can receive a signal from the computer C until the voltage supplied from the first power supply 9 and the second power supply 10 drops to about 2.3V. have.

3 shows a block diagram of an automatic meter reading function by the microprocessor 8, a gas cylinder replacement time detection function, a battery exhaustion detection function of the primary battery 10a, and a gas leakage notification function.

The automatic meter reading function includes a gas usage calculation processing 811 for counting the number of pulses output by the pulse generating meter N ₁ and calculating the amount of gas used by the count. The total sum of the gas consumptions calculated by this gas consumption calculation process 811 is accumulated in the grand total accumulation process 812.

On the other hand, the date and time set in the meter reading / time setting unit 813 and the date and time counted by the timer 814 are compared in the meter reading / time processing 815, and the date and time counted by the timer 814 is set in the meter date / time setting unit 813 When the sum is reached, the total value accumulated in the total accumulation process 812 is encoded by the gas consumption encoding process 816, and the transmission process 800 is notified to the computer C of the gas supplier.

The detection function of the gas cylinder replacement timing is to accumulate the cumulative amount of gas consumption after reset by a trip accumulation process 821 set (reset) to an initial value by a rising trigger when the reset switch N ₂ is turned on. Do it. The accumulated value in this trip accumulation process 821 is compared with the numerical value equivalent to 70% of the amount of gas stored in the first gas exhaustion setting unit 822, and as a result, the numerical width accumulated in the trip accumulation process 821. When it is determined that the first gas exhaustion setting unit 822 is larger than the value to be stored, the first alarm signal is generated from the first comparison process 823. The accumulated value in the trip accumulation process 821 is compared with a value corresponding to an amount of 85% of the gas stored in the second gas exhaustion setting unit 824, and the result is summarized in the trip accumulation process 821. When it is determined that the accumulated numerical value is larger than the value stored by the second gas exhaustion setting unit 824, a second alarm signal is generated from the second comparison process 825. When the first comparison process 823 generates the first alarm signal, the first gas exhaustion encoding process 826 encodes that the remaining amount in the gas cylinder is the remaining 30%, and supplies the gas by the transmission process 800. Notify company computer (C). When the second comparison process 825 generates the second alarm signal, the second gas exhaustion encoding process 827 encodes that the remaining amount in the gas cylinder is the remaining 5%, and the transmission process 800 Notify the gas supplier's computer (C).

The detection function of the battery exhaustion of the primary battery 10a is that if the voltage of the primary battery 10a is lower than the battery exhaustion voltage value (2.5V), the voltage drop detection circuit 11 outputs a high signal to the microprocessor 8. ), The battery exhaustive encoding process 831 encodes that the voltage of the primary battery 10a is lower than 1.5V, and notifies the gas supplier company's computer C by the transmission process 800. . When the gas leak sensor N ₃ detects a gas leak, the gas leak notification function encodes the fact that the gas leak has been detected by the gas leak coding process 841, and transmits the computer of the gas supply company (transmission process 800). C) notify.

Next, the operation of the transmission processing 800 in the microprocessor 8 at the time of automatic meter reading, notification of the gas cylinder replacement timing, notification of exhaustion of the primary battery of the primary battery 10a, and notification of gas leakage is shown in FIG. It demonstrates based on the flowchart shown in the following.

First, the line use detection circuit 3 judges whether or not the telephone T is busy (S1), and repeats (S1) when busy. When not in a call, the ring tone detection circuit 4 judges whether an incoming call is in progress (S2). When in a call, it repeats again from (S1). When not in a call, the telephone line T and the telephone line network L are cut off by the line conversion relay 5, and the telephone line network L and the microprocessor 8 are connected (line closed) ( S3).

Next, it is determined whether 3 seconds have elapsed from the line connection (S4), and if it has not elapsed, (S4) is repeated. When 3 seconds have elapsed from the line connection, the PB signal generating circuit 7 automatically dials the computer C of the gas supply company (S5), and detects the PB signal of the receiving circuit 6 as a response signal of the notification line side. It is determined whether or not it has been received by the circuit 6a (S6).

When the response signal is received, information is transmitted in accordance with the respective provisions of the transmission control (S7), and the PB signal detection circuit 6a in the reception circuit 6 receives the retransmission request signal by the # signal from the notification line side. It is determined whether or not (S8). If the retransmission request signal is not received, it is determined whether 3 seconds have elapsed since the end of the transmission of the information (S9), and if it has not elapsed, the process returns to (S8). When 3 seconds have passed since the transmission ends, the telephone line T and the telephone line network L are connected by the line conversion relay 5, and the lines of the telephone line network L and the microprocessor 8 are opened (S10). Quit.

When no response signal from the notification line is received in step S6, it is determined whether 15 seconds have elapsed since the automatic dialing of the notification line (S11), and when no 15 seconds have elapsed, the process returns to step S6 again. . When 15 seconds have elapsed since the automatic dialing or the retransmission request signal was received at (S8), the line is opened (S12), and then it is judged whether the automatic dialing has been performed three or more times. (S13).

If the number of transmissions is less than three times, it is determined whether 5 seconds have elapsed since the line is opened (S14). If 5 seconds have not elapsed, (S14) is repeated. Return to S1).

If it is determined in S13 that the number of times the automatic dial has been made three or more times, it is determined whether the automatic dial has been made nine times (S15). In the case, it is determined whether 5 minutes have elapsed since the line opening (S16). If 5 minutes have not elapsed since the opening of the reply (S16), the process is repeated, and when 5 minutes have elapsed, the process returns to (S1) again. Table 1 shows an example of a transmission format by a pushbutton signal used for transmission.

TABLE 1

'' B '' at the left end of Table 1 indicates the start of transmission, and the next "UC" indicates a user code for determining from which house the computer C is transmitted. Subsequently sent "B" indicates the content of the information following the user code. The transmission information represents information encoded by the encoding process. "CK" is a check code for detecting an error of transmission information, and "##" indicates completion of transmission.

As indicated above, when the computer C of the gas supply company performs automatic meter reading, notification of the replacement timing of the gas cylinder, notification of battery exhaustion of the primary battery 10a and notification of gas leakage, these information are sent to the pushbutton signal. Since this pushbutton signal is transmitted to the computer C via the telephone line network L, the PB signal generation circuit 7 for calling the computer C with respect to the generation of the pushbutton signal can be used. In comparison with conventionally used modems, the same function of transmitting information is achieved by the PB signal generation circuit 7 and the microprocessor 8, compared to the quantization and transmission of the signal. You can do it. In addition, the reception of information from the computer C of the gas supply company uses the frequency detection circuit in the PB signal detection circuit 6b to transmit specific frequencies (941 Hz and 1477 Hz) of the push button signal (# signal) sent from the computer C. Since the microprocessor 8 detects the information from the computer C in accordance with the signal detected by the frequency detecting circuit, the information of the information when demodulating and decoding the quantized signal as in the conventional modem is compared. The manufacturing cost can be reduced while having the same function (consisting of the receiving circuit 6 and the microprocessor) for receiving.

As a result, since the information can be transmitted and received at a price lower than that of the modem without providing a modem, the housing information transmitter A having functions of transmitting and receiving can be supplied to the market at a very low price. Since the residential information transmitting device A has a receiving function, bilateral communication is possible, and the reliability of the device can be greatly improved.

In addition, the PB signal detection circuit 6a in the electric circuit 1 is provided with an active circuit (frequency detection circuit) which does not operate with a voltage supplied from the first power supply unit 9 and the second power supply unit 10. Since the booster circuit 6c boosts the 2.3V supplied from the power supply unit 9 and the second power supply unit 10 to about 8V, the frequency detection circuit in the PB signal detection circuit 6a is the first power supply unit 9. And the signal from the computer C until the voltage supplied from the second power supply unit 10 decreases to about 2.3V. Therefore, the secondary battery 9a is charged with the power supplied from the telephone line network L, and the electric circuit 1 can be operated with the power of the secondary battery 9a.

On the other hand, at the time of automatic meter reading, notification of the replacement of the gas cylinder, notification of battery exhaustion of the primary battery 10a, and notification of gas leakage, the circuit conversion relay 5, the reception circuit 6, and the PB signal in the electric circuit 1 are notified. Since the generation circuit 7 and the microprocessor 8 operate, the electric power charged in the secondary battery 9a of the 1st power supply part 9 is consumed.

However, the automatic meter reading is performed only once a month, and the notification of the replacement timing of the singer bomb, the battery exhaustion notification of the primary battery 10a, and the gas leakage notification are not performed several times a month. The secondary battery 9a of 9) is always charged by the telephone line network L and maintained at 3.6V, which is a rated voltage. In addition, the microprocessor 8 counts the number of pulses of the timer and the pulse generating meter N ₁ even when the information is not transmitted to the computer C of the gas supplier, but the current consumption applied to the timer is 1 μA or less. Since the current consumption at the time of pulse counting is about 2 to 3 A, the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 is charged more with the power supplied from the telephone line network L than the power consumed.

Since the first power supply section 9 has a simple structure composed of the secondary battery 9a, the resistor 9b, and the like, the value of the first power supply section 9 can be reduced. In addition, since the secondary battery 9a is charged and used, it is not necessary to replace the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 over a long period of time, so that maintenance is easy. The computer C of the gas supply company transmits information several times, and the power of the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 does not reach charging, and the voltage of the secondary battery 9a supplies the primary battery. When the voltage falls below a voltage value (for example, 3 V), the first power supply unit 9 is broken, or the telephone line network L is disconnected for a long time, the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 is charged. When the voltage of the first power supply unit 9 is lowered and the voltage of the secondary battery 9a is lower than that of the primary battery 10a of the second power supply unit 10, such as when this is not performed, the primary battery control circuit ( Since the electric circuit 1 is powered by the primary battery 10a by the action of 10b), the system can be operated and the data stored in the microprocessor 8 can be maintained for a long time. . In addition, the primary battery 10a is not used until the secondary battery 9a of the first power supply unit 9 falls below the primary battery supply voltage value, and even if used, the voltage of the secondary battery 9a is not increased. Since it is charged again by the telephone line network L and boosted, the frequency of use of the primary battery 10a is very low, and the lifespan of the primary battery 10a can be significantly extended. Since the second power supply unit 10 is composed of only the primary battery 10a and the diode (primary battery control circuit 10b), the cost of the second power supply unit 10 can be reduced. In addition, by using a lithium battery for the primary battery 10a, the life of the primary battery 10a can be further extended. In addition, even if an expensive lithium battery is used for the primary battery 10a, the voltage of the primary battery 10a may be lower than that of the first power supply unit 9, so that the manufacturing price can be lowered.

If the voltage of the primary battery 10a of the second power supply unit 10 is lower than the battery exhaust voltage value, the battery exhaust notification function informs the management center that the voltage of the primary battery 10a is lower than 2.6V. In this way, the computer C of the gas supply company can know which household device has lowered the voltage of the primary battery. Therefore, it is possible to cope before data stored in the microprocessor 8 is erased. Various confusions due to this can be avoided, thereby improving the reliability of the device.

In the above embodiment, only the # signal of the pushbutton signal is shown. However, the pushbutton signal may be provided to detect other pushbutton signals.

Although the pulse was generated by using a magnet and a lead switch attached to the rotating member in the gas integrating device, the slit was installed in a place where rotation or reciprocating motion was performed in the gas integrating device, and the light passed through the slit. The pulses may be generated by other means such as generating pulses by the output of the photocoupler for detecting the number of pulses, and the number of pulses may be counted to detect the use of gas.

The flow rate of the gas passing through the gas supply pipe may be detected using an air flow meter or the like, thereby detecting the amount of gas used.

When the amount of use within the set time exceeds the set value (maximum flow rate exceeded, long time use of gas equipment, micro leakage, etc.), the information may be notified to the center or the gas valve may be shut off.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to other automatic meter reading such as tap water in addition to the automatic meter reading of gas.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to an apparatus for automatic meter reading in the management center at a predetermined date and time is shown, but may be applied to an apparatus for automatic meter reading while receiving a transmission instruction from the management center.

In addition to gas leak detection, home emergency functions such as crime prevention and fire detection may be provided.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a home information transmitting apparatus which performs gas exhaustion, gas leakage notification and automatic meter reading, but the data transmission and reception between the personal computer, the data transmission and reception between the central computer and the terminal, etc. The present invention can be applied to other apparatuses that transmit and receive information via a telephone line.

Claims (7)

A PB signal generation circuit 7 for converting information received from the microprocessor 8 into a pushbutton signal, and the pushbutton signal is transmitted to the recipient by way of a telephone line and then pushed by the recipient A receiving circuit 6 for receiving a button signal, and a PB signal detecting circuit 6a in the receiving circuit 6 for converting the push button signal received by the receiving circuit 6 into information, thereby transmitting and receiving information; An information transmitting / receiving apparatus characterized by enabling two-way communication (transmission / reception) between a device and a receiver (management center). The electric circuit (A) of the information transmitting / receiving apparatus is provided with a secondary battery (9a) which is charged by electricity supplied from the telephone line, and is operated by electric power charged in the secondary battery. Information transmitting and receiving device, characterized in that. The electric circuit (A) of the information transmitting and receiving device (100) according to claim 2, further comprising a boosting circuit (6c) for boosting the voltage supplied from the secondary battery (9a) to an operating voltage of an active circuit in the electric circuit. Information transmitting and receiving device, characterized in that. The information transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information is a usage amount of gas, electricity, and water. The information transmitting and receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said information is a gas exhaust signal of a gas cylinder. The information transmitting and receiving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said information is a gas leak signal. According to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the water-receiving device is installed in the management center. Information transmitting and receiving device, characterized in that.

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